The Great Indian Repatriation has begun. And this is just the first wave.

India has initiated an enormous rescue operation, using its national carrier, Air India, its naval ships and countless clerks, health workers, police officers, sailors and diplomats, to bring home overseas citizens whose lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Indians could be repatriated by the time it is over.

The first of them stepped off a plane from Abu Dhabi on Thursday night, arriving in the southern state of Kerala.

“Jai Hind!” — Hail India! — cheered an Air India pilot wearing full protective gear, in a clip shown on Indian news channels.

On Friday, two naval ships got ready to set sail with around 1,000 Indians from Male, the capital of the Maldives. The crews on the ships and planes wore protective gear, and passengers covered their faces with masks and scarves.

In a photo provided by the Maldives Ports Limited, Indian citizens boarded a ship to India from Male on Friday.Credit...Maldives Ports Limited, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Indian embassies are prioritizing citizens with medical emergencies, pregnant women, people without jobs and students. The first set of flights will take about a week; between those flights and the two warships, around 15,000 people will be brought home.

India realizes how careful it needs to be. So far, perhaps because of weeks of strict lockdown, the country has been spared the waves of death that the United States and other nations have endured. India has reported around 60,000 coronavirus infections and 2,000 deaths, relatively few for a population of 1.3 billion.

It helped that India was quick to close its airspace, in March, to international arrivals, although in recent days the country has suffered a series of deadly accidents as it has moved to ease some restrictions.

So the government is walking a fine line: trying to bring home citizens without bringing home the virus. After arriving, all passengers will be sent to quarantine facilities for 14 days.

Many regional governments are setting up isolation facilities. In Mumbai, the financial capital, the government said it was keeping 3,343 rooms in 88 hotels for quarantine purposes.

But the list is long — really long.

Hundreds of thousands of Indians have registered with embassies around the world for repatriation. Many of them have lost jobs. Others are simply unable to fly back any other way, with the airspace virtually closed.

Some need to come back to earn a living, or to help a sick relative. And as colleges and universities have shut across the globe, hundreds of thousands of young Indians have been left stranded, far from home.

“Our ships are capable of going anywhere,” said Cmdr. Vivek Madhwal, a spokesman for the Indian Navy. “It could be a big operation.”

Flights are scheduled to pluck Indians out of places like Chicago, San Francisco, Dhaka, Manila, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. Air India is selling seats on the flights out, mostly from Delhi and Mumbai, for foreigners in India and for Indians who need to leave.

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Preparing a quarantine center in Mumbai on Wednesday. Many regional governments are setting up isolation facilities. Credit...Atul Loke for The New York Times

The most requests for repatriation have come from the Persian Gulf, where an estimated 8.5 million Indians work.

Many are desperate. Anbalal Peer Mohammad, a construction worker who has overstayed his visa in Kuwait and is being housed with other Indian workers in a school, was elated when he heard that he might get out.

“I smell like a sewer. I haven’t had a bath since last week,” Mr. Mohammad said. “I just want to return home and never look back.”

Frequently Asked Questions and Advice

Updated June 5, 2020

How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

Will protests set off a second viral wave of coronavirus?

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

How do we start exercising again without hurting ourselves after months of lockdown?

Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

How can I protect myself while flying?

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

Should I wear a mask?

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

What should I do if I feel sick?

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

Some feel they have run out of luck. Arvind Venkataraman, 34, who lives in Canberra, Australia’s capital, said his mother-in-law was visiting him when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and put on dialysis. The treatment is expensive in Australia, and he is running out of money, but the family was caught behind the lockdown, unable to fly back into India.

When Mr. Venkataraman approached the Indian High Commission in Canberra, he was given some money but told that the first wave of rescue flights would not include Australia.

“The uncertainty is killing us,” said Mr. Venkataraman, who recently lost his full-time job with a multinational company.

Commander Madhwal, the navy spokesman, said the Indian navy was keeping 14 ships on standby to scoop up more people.